The absurdity of “not my president”

I did not vote for Donald J. Trump.

He was my president.

I did not vote for Joe Biden.

He is my president.

The person who we elect as president of the United States is president of all the States — the Blue, the Red, the Purple, and all who live within their borders. (I was going to write the president is the person that a majority of us voted for, but that has not always been true in recent decades.) 

Trump was not the first person to not accept the results of an election. He was just the first president to do it openly and actively. You know Hillary Clinton thinks the Russians elected Trump, but she graciously soft pedals it, and gracious is not the first word you associate with Hillary.

I can’t tell you when this “not my president” crapola began, but like cancel culture, it’s got to stop. One source traced it back to 2000, when George W. Bush beat Al Gore to become president without a majority vote of the American people.

Bill Clinton never had a majority — a piddling 43% of the popular vote in 1992, an almost there 49.2% in 1996 — but I don’t recall any “not my president” nonsense. (It may have been there and I just missed it. Now there are lapel pins, bumper stickers, and maybe lace curtains emblazoned with the phrase.)

Clinton’s detractors found plenty of other reasons to hate Bubba, and he provided them with some excellent ammunition (cough, cough, Monica Lewinsky).

I do recall the list of Hollywoodians who “threatened” to “leave the country” if Bush were elected.

Spoiler alert: They didn’t.

Most of these mooks said they’d escape to Canada.

I don’t recall anyone saying they’d be running to Mexico. Why not? Because it is a “brown” nation?

And they call you racist.

I remember the Good Old Days when many of my liberal friends bemoaned how stupid W was (despite his Yale grades being about the same as John Kerry’s). “Oh, he’s not that bad,” I said.

They didn’t agree with me.

Until Trump.

Bush now seems like a MacArthur fellow.

It’s all relative.

Saying (fill in the blank) is not your president is denying reality, and you know where people who deny reality turn up.

In the Libertarian Party. (Just joking.)

See, it’s one thing to have a bumper sticker that says, “Don’t blame me, I voted for Gore.”

It’s a whole different thang to say, “George W. Bush is not my president.”

If you want that to be true, it’s easy. You don’t even have to change addresses. Just renounce your American citizenship.

But you can’t just do it on Twitter or Instagram.

The process can take up to a year, and you better have a second nationality or you could become stateless, and that’s no fun.

Statelessness means you have no government protection and can have significant trouble owning property, working, receiving medical help, and attending school. A U.S. consulate or State Department office can deny your request to renounce your citizenship if you don’t already have a second passport or another nationality.

You will be asked to produce your U.S. birth certificate and, if you own one, a certificate of naturalization from the country you will be joining.

Before the first appointment, you’ll need to fill out and sign the DS-4079 questionnaire, which is the form to relinquish your U.S. citizenship

Diplomatic officials use the first interview to ensure that you aren’t renouncing your citizenship under duress. The second appointment includes reading an oath in which you state your desire to renounce citizenship. You may be asked to bring five years of tax returns.

Damn red, white and blue tape.

Your documents are then sent to the State Department, which reviews the paperwork and makes a decision on your case in about one or two months. If “yes,” you will receive your Certificate of Loss of Nationality afterward. Suitable for framing!

There may be some fees involved.

Oh — you’re still on the hook for all U.S. taxes. But you can’t vote. 

Sound good? Only to supreme sore losers.

If you will not renounce your citizenship, shut up about “not my president.” Saying that is stupid.

Sorry, it just is. Thinking otherwise is juvenile. It offers an excuse for doing nothing.

If you don’t like who’s running the country, campaign against the incumbent or the candidate you don’t like. That’s the American way. It works. Trump proved it in 2016, Democrats proved it in 2020.

In any event, the winner is your president.